BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The state's oldest black political group filed a federal lawsuit today challenging last year's changes to Alabama's campaign financing law banning transfer of money between political action committees.

The Alabama Democratic Conference says in the lawsuit that the new law hurts its get-out-the-vote efforts in elections and cuts money available for minority candidates.

The Alabama Democratic Conference and five of its members filed the federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama against Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange and two district attorneys, Robert Broussard in Madison County and Bryce Graham Jr. in Colbert County.

The lawsuit claims that last year's amendment to Alabama's Fair Campaign Practices Act is a violation of ADC's First Amendment rights and of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. The lawsuit asks that a federal judge bar Strange and others from enforcing the amendments.

Alabama legislators approved the amendment to the act in December and former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley signed it into law.

The new law bans transfers of money from PACs, 527 groups or private foundations to other PACs, 527 groups or private foundations. A tax-exempt 527 is a group that can raise and spend money for political activities, including ads that attack or praise a candidate's positions, but do not explicitly ask people to vote for or against the candidate.

Companies, associations and other groups form PACs to raise money to give to candidates. The new law was enacted to cut out PAC-to-PAC transfers, which can hide a candidate's true source of campaign money.

ADC's claims that under the new law the group cannot receive contributions from political action committees such as the Alabama Democratic Party and Alabama Education Association. It also makes it illegal for ADC to associate with like-minded groups "and expend or receive funds so that the associated groups can more effectively petition the government for redress of their grievances, and associate to persuade and encourage voters to cast ballots for their choice."

Also under the new law, the lawsuit states, it is illegal for the ADC to receive contributions the principal campaign committees of candidates "wishing to associate with the ADC and to communicate with and encourage participation by black voters."

The lawsuit contends the act will interfere with the get-out-the-vote efforts of ADC and as a result "a number of black voters will be unable to get to the polls to vote, and thus will be effectively barred from access to the franchise. Black citizens will be disproportionately disadvantaged by such interference."

The act also "disproportionately reduces and forecloses the access of minority candidates to amassing the resources necessary to run an effective campaign against their majority-race opponents," the lawsuit claims.